1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stimulus-sensitive composition for use in the production process of a semiconductor such as IC, in the production of a circuit substrate of liquid crystal, thermal head and the like, in other photofabrication processes or in the lithographic printing plate, acid-curable composition, radical-curable composition and the like, and also relates to a compound for use in the stimulus-sensitive composition and a pattern forming method using the stimulus-sensitive composition.
2. Description of the Related Art
The stimulus-sensitive composition is a composition of generating an acid or a radical by external stimulation and causing change in the physical properties in the portion stimulated by the reaction of the acid or radical, and this is more preferably a pattern-forming material of forming a pattern on a substrate by causing change in the solubility in a developer between the part irradiated with actinic rays, radiation or heat and the non-irradiated part.
In such a stimulus-sensitive composition, various acid generators of generating an acid upon irradiation with actinic rays or radiation have been proposed.
For example, JP-A-2000-292917 (the term “JP-A” as used herein means an “unexamined published Japanese patent application”) describes a resist composition using a mixture of a triarylsulfonium salt and a phenacylsulfonium salt, and JP-A-2001-294570 describes a resist composition containing a phenacylsulfonium salt having a ring structure.
However, conventional resist compositions are being demanded to be more improved in the sensitivity and profile.